Certifications, Credentials, and Career Competitiveness Doubled: The "Certificate Pyramid" Framework for Career Planning

Published on March 20, 2026
11 minute read

"Many of them are crap. And many of them could actually be helpful." That's not me talking. That's a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, describing the $2 billion nondegree credential market. Here's the problem: with over 1.5 million certificates, badges, and microcredentials to choose from, how do you know which ones actually move the needle?